


The Silver Mare

by iamgizy (saddle_tramp)



Category: Linkin Park, NSYNC
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-02-16
Updated: 2001-02-16
Packaged: 2017-10-15 17:19:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/163084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/iamgizy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pairing: Joey/Chris<br/>Rating: PG</p><p>Summary: AU Crossover fairytale type story I wrote for Jenn. I'm posting it exactly as it was posted on LiveJournal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Silver Mare

 

Jenn: so tell me a story? *lays head on your shoulder and bats eyelashes*  
Gizy: *grins and kisses your forehead* What kind of story do you want to hear?  
Jenn: A fairy tale...with gore and guts and hot guys  
Gizy: *giggles* Gore and guts and hot guys, huh?  
Jenn: *grins innocently*  
Jenn: preferrably hot guys named Joe, Chris, Mike and Chester  
Gizy: *grins back* Joe, Chris, Mike and Chester? And you want gore and guts in it with them?  
Jenn: *nods* please......!!!  
Gizy: *giggles* Okay....  
Gizy: *thinks*  
Jenn: *grabs a teddy bear and snuggles down*  
Gizy: *thinks a little more* I'm not great at this, so don't expect too much. *giggles*  
Jenn: *grins* your best is all I ask  
Gizy: Slashy, right? What pairings?  
Jenn: *nods* Slashy...umm any  
Jenn: Whoever you think would look good together  
Gizy: *grins* Okay...  
Gizy: *writes quickly*  
Jenn: *waits patiently*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once upon a time, on a beautiful moonlit night, there were two gypsies walking down a path that led into the deepest part of the forest, the fell places no one went for fear of the spirits that lived there. Strange things happened to people that strayed into there, and no animal ever returned.

The few humans that had returned from the wood weren't the same as they were when they left. Some went insane and others looked as though a great beast had attacked them, but all agreed on one thing... Never go into the wood near the full moon.

The woods were silent this night, almost as though the forest animals also feared the light of the full moon, and it made the voices of the two gypsies seem unnaturally loud as they talked back and forth. The taller of the two was deceptively calm and peaceful, but the smaller man was obviously nervous and agitated as he looked around, talking constantly.

"I know you like King," the shorter man was saying, "but getting killed for a horse too stupid to stay out of the wood is a bit much, don't you think?" He paused a moment as if waiting for an answer, then went on. "Oh, wait, no, you don't think, you _do_ and you drag me along with you." He looked around warily, then grabbed the taller man's arm and pointed at the trail as he said quickly, "Aren't those wolf tracks? You're the tracker, Joseph, _tell me_ those aren't wolf tracks!"

Joseph looked at him with a little amused twist to his lips, the glint in his brown eyes making his amusement more obvious in the light from the lantern he carried. "Yes Chris, those are wolf tracks. They've _been_ wolf tracks for the last hour. I figure we're following a pack of three or four."

"But— but, Joe!" Chris pulled Joseph to a halt and then waved his arms. "We're supposed to be following a HORSE, not WOLVES!"

Joseph laughed and started down the trail again. "We are following a horse. The wolves are just following him ahead of us."

Chris stared at Joseph's retreating back until it disappeared around a curve in the path, then hurried after him, rounding the corner just as the light from Joseph's lantern disappeared suddenly, leaving him in pitch darkness. "Joe... Stop playing around, turn the light back on, I hate—"

A hand covered Chris' mouth, cutting him off as a solid chest pressed suddenly against his back and Joseph whispered in his ear, "Chris, be still, there's something out there."

Chris looked around wide-eyed as Joseph stepped away slightly, blinking and trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness as he whispered, "What did you see, Joe?"

"Didn't see anything," Joseph replied softly, looking around as he reached for the knife in his boot. "Someone touched my back."

"So you _turned out the light_?!" Chris whispered incredulously, moving closer to Joseph as he reached for the sheath where his own knife hung between his shoulder blades. "Why does that seem like the _wrong_ _thing to do_ to me?!"

Joseph shrugged, looking around in the dim moonlight that filtered through the tree limbs. "I couldn't see past the edge of the light."

"The light helps you see farth—" Chris broke off with a squeak, whirling around as Joseph looked at him. "Joe, somebody just pinched my ass!"

"Well, it wasn't me," Joseph replied dryly, turning around again to put his back against Chris' as they both looked around warily. "I told you somebody touched me."

"You didn't say they _pinched your ass_!" Chris replied hotly, no longer trying to keep his voice down as he scanned what he could make out of the surrounding trees. "Nobody pinches that ass but _me_!"

"I did," someone whispered in Chris' ear, warm breath ghosting against his skin even though Chris could plainly see there wasn't anyone there.  The voice sounded young, as though the owner's voice hadn't broken yet with maturity.

Chris squeaked and leaned back against Joseph even more as he whispered, "Joe, an invisible boy just whispered in my ear."

"I am not a boy!" the same voice replied hotly – and much more loudly – before Joseph could say anything. "I'm an elf, there's a difference!"

Joseph looked over his shoulder at Chris, wide-eyed, just as a deeper voice came from their other side. "You are a boy, Chessie, you're not even a hundred yet."

There was a sudden flare of light then as a yellow-green globe appeared to one side, hovering in mid air and casting stark shadows around the tiny clearing as Joseph and Chris looked around for whoever was speaking.

"Don't call me that!" the first voice said belligerently, "Not in front of humans!"

There was a derisive snort and a globe of clear blue light appeared, moving towards the yellow-green one in a pace and fashion that suggested someone walking. "Oh come on, Chessie, look at the earrings and the clothes. They're just gypsies. Nobody will believe them if they live to say they saw us."

"Joe, tell me I'm not insane," Chris whispered shakily. "Tell me you see the weird lights too, and that you can't see whoever's talking."

"You _are_ insane, Chris," Joseph replied, "but I don't see what you don't see. I think."

"It's the principle of the thing, Michael," the first voice replied with obvious annoyance as the yellow-green globe began bouncing up and down. "They're just humans, they don't need to know my personal name!"

The globe of blue light suddenly flared, making Chris and Joseph both lift their hands to shield their eyes, and when they lowered them again there was a brightly clothed young man standing there tossing the globe of blue light from hand to hand. "Chester, stop being such a fairy," the young man said with a tolerant smile, the light from the moving globe he held making his eyes seems to dance. "You'll live."

"I am not a fairy!" the first voice replied hotly as there was a sudden flare of light from the yellow-green globe and another man appeared. "Fairies have _wings,_ Michael, which you well know!"

Michael snorted, watching the smaller elf with seeming unconcern as he tossed the globe of blue light upwards and it moved to hover overhead against the underside of a tree branch, lighting the whole clearing as a single leaf drifted down to land on his shoulder. "Pouf then," he said as he lifted one hand to brush the leaf away. "I'd prefer fairy myself though, at least they're good company."

Chester stomped his foot, glaring at Michael as Joseph and Chris slowly backed away from them. "I'm not a fairy! They're tiny and noisy and they're always flitting around and pulling pranks on humans, and—" He broke off suddenly, then laughed, his annoyed expression clearing slightly. "Okay, so maybe fairy _is_ a little fitting."

Michael looked down at his hand, wriggling his fingers as he made little sparks of blue light dance in the air in front of him. "Just a _little bit,_ Chessie?" he asked with a little grin, his eyes flicking up to look at the other elf. "The only difference I know of is that you can't hold your honeydew..."

Chester leaned back against a tree suddenly, folding his arms across his chest as his expression clouded over in a pout. "You're being annoying."

Michael looked up with a smirk, ignoring Joseph and Chris as they carefully edged back down the path. "Who, me?"

"Yes you!" Chester replied, still pouting. "You're supposed to be torturing the humans, not me. Bother them!"

"Okay," Michael replied with a shrug, snapping his fingers and looking towards Joseph and Chris as the sparks of light he'd been playing with darted after them, swirling around them as they stopped suddenly and turned back to look at the elves, wide-eyed. "Why are you two here? Surely you know any human that intrudes here doesn't leave."

"Or we play with them," Chester added, suddenly grinning. "Some of those leave, but they aren't the same anymore."

Chris swallowed hard, watching Michael wide-eyed as Joseph took off his hat, ducking his head slightly in the hope that being deferential might get them out of this alive. "We're looking for a stray horse, milord. Wolves chased him into the wood and we were following his tracks."

Joseph gestured at the now-smudged hoof and paw prints leading deeper into the wood as Michael's eyebrows went up. "I'm not a lord, human. Lords get their jollies living off the work of others." He paused and made a quick gesture. "Come closer, into the light."

Joseph and Chris looked at each other, and then slowly walked over to stand in front of Michael in the bright light beneath the blue globe.

"Is this horse worth risking your life?" Chester asked, curious.

Joseph nodded, twisting his hat. "He... He saved Chris' life, and mine. He's a good horse."

"Which would be why you left him where my wolves could take him," Michael replied dryly. "Try again, human. Isn't the silver and amethyst worked into the saddle and bridle the real reason you want this horse back? Or maybe it's so that you can sell the horse? He's worth quite a lot to discerning humans, he's of elven riding stock you know. Smarter and faster than one of you humans' horses, and will live a good deal longer."

Joseph shook his head quickly. "We didn't know that, and don't care about the tack, we just want to find King. Have you seen him?"

"Yes," Michael replied as Chester moved over to slide an arm around Michael's waist and lean against him. "My wolves took him, after all, and it wasn't because they wanted a light snack."

"Why?" Chris asked suddenly, making Michael look at him, and he swallowed hard before he clarified, "Why did you take him?"

"Humans have a habit of mistreating their riding animals," Chester replied matter-of-factly, "so our wolves liberate any unattended elven stock they find. If this King is so important to you, why was he left loose to graze along the edge of our wood?"

Chris blushed and looked away as Joseph's cheeks also flushed and he replied quietly, "We were, uhm, distracted. We were nearby when your wolves found him, I'm sure. King never wanders far."

Michael's eyebrows went up as Chester smirked suddenly and said, "Artae mentioned something moving around in the bushes near where he found the horse. You were shagging, weren't you?"

Chris and Joseph's faces flamed even redder as Michael laughed softly, and Chester smirked as he said, "Oh, this is too perfect! You were off screwing in the bushes and didn't hear our wolves running off your horse, even though he put up a bit of an argument. You must have been very, shall we say, into it."

"Can we just have him back, please?" Joseph asked, his face still flaming. "I'll give you my word he'll never be sold or mistreated by either of us."

"A human's word is worth about as much as this leaf," Michael said with a snort, snapping his fingers and making a dry, autumn-red maple leaf appeared above his hand to float gently down into his palm. "And about as durable to hardship." He closed his fist and there was a surprisingly loud crackling noise, then he opened his hand to let the fragments of the leaf drift down towards the ground. "I'm not in the habit of taking a human's word for anything."

Chris and Joseph looked at each other, then back at Michael and Chester as Chris asked, "Is there anything we can do to convince you to let King go?"

"Let him go?" Chester repeated, his eyebrows going up again. "You talk like you think he would willingly leave our home to go back to carrying you about. We have a very nice home, human."

Joseph swallowed, then nodded. "If he wants to stay with you then we'd ask only for the saddlebags, they've got all of our food."

Michael looked at Joseph a moment, and then looked at Chester. "Well, what do you think, Chessie? Shall we let this King choose?"

Chester looked from Joseph to Chris and back again, and then looked at Michael. "Yes, and if he says he doesn't want to go with them, we feed them to Kyrix."

"K-kyrix?" Chris asked with a slight stutter, his eyes wide.

"My pet," Chester said with a smirk. "Show them, Michael."

Michael looked at him and then at Chris and Joseph as he moved his hand in a tossing motion, a small shimmering ball of light leaving his fingertips and expanding quickly as it flew to stop about ten feet away and then flashed brightly as a man-high round portal opened. A huge cat on the other side of the portal lifted its head from the partially eaten human body at its feet and snarled, and droplets of blood fell from its bared fangs as it moved towards them, crouched as if to spring. The cat's black coloring with faint stripes of shimmering gold over the body, face and throat suggested it might be some sort of tiger, but its heavy build and size were more reminiscent of a very large lion, and the unnaturally green eyes hinted at some otherworldly origin.

Chris and Joseph both moved quickly to put Michael and Chester between them and the cat as Michael waved his hand and the portal frosted over again. Joseph gave the two elves a much more wary look as he asked, "You— You feed _men_ to that thing?"

"Only humans," Chester replied with a smirk. "The one Kyrix is munching on now was flogging his horse at the edge of our wood because he was running it too hard and the horse fell and broke it's leg."

"We'd never do anything like that," Chris said then, still looking a bit scared.

Joseph immediately added, "You acted as though you can understand animals, ask King! He knows we've even fought with people who were beating their stock without cause, he has seen it happen. It's worse even than hitting a woman, at least they can ask for help if they need it."

Michael's eyebrows went up as that and Chester cocked his head to one side, looking a little surprised himself. "You'd still trust your life to this King, even knowing that if he doesn't want to go with you, you'll be killed?"

Joseph nodded. "Yeah, I would. He's saved our lives before."

"How so?" Michael asked, another small globe of light appearing in his hand. "What did he do?"

"We were afoot in a snowstorm about six months ago, and he found us and took us to shelter," Joseph replied. "We expected his owner to look for him so we stayed there until our supplies were low, but no one ever showed up and we finally had to leave. King followed us, and we've traveled with him ever since."

"Well," Chester said, sounding surprised as he looked at Michael. "That's quite different, isn't it, love?"

Michael nodded, looking at Chris and Joseph as he lightly tossed the small globe he held up into the air and then caught it again. "Do you know anything about elven riding stock?" Both shook their heads so Michael explained, "They are very loyal to their chosen owners, and once they choose they will follow no other without being forced." He looked at Chester then and added, "That's why Artae, Lire, and Riala had to force him to go with them."

"Still, it's hardly believable though," Chester replied, looking from Michael to Chris and Joseph. "Elven stock never choose humans, everyone knows that, and surely if one was of a mind to it wouldn't choose a gypsy like either of these two ragamuffins. Mayhap he'll change his mind once he sees them in the true light of an earthglobe."

Chris and Joseph both bristled slightly at that as Michael nodded again and said, "True, but custom does require that we let the stallion choose for himself," Michael looked at Joseph, "if he wasn't forced to travel with you."

"We never tethered him," Joseph said immediately, "not unless we're in a settlement, and that's mostly for his protection. We avoid towns as a rule anyway, though.  Our kind aren't welcome."

"Bring him here," Chester said suddenly, looking at Michael. "I want to see."

Michael tossed the little globe he'd been holding at the portal, and on contact there was a flash of light as the portal turned vivid green and opened to show a beautiful meadow that shone damply in the moonlight. There was a scattered herd of horses visible in the distance, most of which were deep chestnut or bright palomino, but there were a few blacks, bays and the occasional grey or gleaming golden dun.

Michael looked at Joseph and Chris then and said simply, "Call him."

Chris and Joseph looked at Michael and Chester and then at each other, and after a moment Chris said, "I trust him."

Joseph nodded and turned towards the portal, whistling shrilly, and a quick smile spread across his face when there was an immediate answering neigh from somewhere off to one side of the portal. Distant hoofbeats could be heard then, and moments later a large dun stallion galloped into sight, scattering the herd as he ran towards the portal and barely slowing as he ducked his head to charge through it, then halted, rearing. The stallion's front hooves touched the ground after only a moment and then he moved quickly to Joseph, nuzzling his cheek as he whickered softly and Joseph reached up to pet him, grinning.

"Well," Chester said, looking thoroughly surprised. "I suppose he really does like him."

Michael nodded, his expression nonplussed, and both elves watched as King moved to nudge Chris' shoulder, pushing him backwards a step as Joseph looked at them, still grinning. "Does that mean we can go now?"

Michael pursed his lips slightly and waved his hand, making the portal close with a pop. "I suppose, human."

Joseph and Chris grinned at each other, then looked at the elves as Chris said, "Thank you. We'll leave you to whatever it is you do now."

The two humans turned away and started down the path with King walking at Joseph's shoulder, and they'd gone perhaps ten feet when Chester called after them, "Aren't you going to ask for the tack? Or your food? Or anything?"

Joseph looked back at them, smiling as he laid his hand on King's shoulder. "We can make do without it, we have before. Keep it, in thanks for not feeding us or King to that cat-thing."

Michael and Chester looked at each other in surprise. Chris and Joseph watched as they seemed to have a silent conversation, unsure if they should stay or go until Chester finally said aloud, "We must. They deserve it as few others have."

Michael looked at him a moment longer and then nodded and smiled at Chester as he replied softly, "You're right, Chessie, as usual." He looked back at the humans and the dun stallion then as he said a bit more loudly, "Please, come back here a moment."

Chris and Joseph looked at each other and then turned to walk back towards the elves with King trailing them, all three of them looking a bit wary. Chester smiled and took two steps towards them, then said, "You may ask a boon of us, any one thing that we may do to aid you." Chris and Joseph stopped in front of them, both looking shocked as Chester added, "And you may have your things back."

Chester snapped his fingers and murmured a word they couldn't quite hear, and then King snorted loudly, making Chris and Joseph turn to look at him as the stallion's tack appeared from nowhere. There was a ghostly yellow-green glow around the tack that hovered above King's back, and King tried to move away only to find he was held immobile by some force. Chris and Joseph watched in awe as the tack began to apply itself to the obviously offended horse, and after just a few moments he was completely tacked up. The glow disappeared then and King gave himself a good hard shake before he glared pointedly at Chester and snorted, making Chester laugh.

"Such language! I'm not some _human_ , to be doing it the hard way," Chester replied, grinning.

King pinned his ears, moving closer to Chris and Joseph in an obvious show that he preferred them as he blew out through his lips in what looked remarkably similar to a raspberry.

Chris and Joseph looked at each other and then back at Chester then, and Michael folded his arms across his chest and watched the three of them with a vaguely amused expression as he wondered if there had ever been an elven-bred steed who hated magic. That would explain King's preference for the humans quite well, actually, as well as why he wouldn't go with their wolves without a fight. Elven wolves were much larger than normal, so they were easily recognized for what they were.

"Come now," Chester said after another moment had passed in silence. "What would you like?" He tilted his head inquisitively, grinning at the two humans. "Money? Jewels? Wom— Well, no, you two wouldn't be after wenches if you were shagging in the bushes... A bottomless mug of mead possibly?"

Chris and Joseph looked at each other, then Joseph shrugged and said, "We've got King back, and I've still got you, so there's nothing I need. You choose."

"You sure?" Chris asked, and when Joseph smiled and nodded Chris bit his lip, looking down at the ground and thinking furiously before he suddenly brightened and looked up. "A horse for me to ride? A mare maybe?" King's ears pricked forward at that and the stallion stepped forward to nudge Chris' shoulder, making Chris look at him and grin, then look back at Chester. "Would that be okay?"

Chester looked bemused by that as Michael laughed softly and said, "Yes, that can be arranged, human. Would you like and elven steed, or just any mare?"

Chris shrugged and looked at King, who nickered softly and then snorted, shaking his head as Chester and Michael both laughed.

"Elven it is, " Michael said with a grin as a small globe appeared in his hand again, then he tossed it to the side as he added, "Take your pick..."

The globe hit the ground and expanded rapidly as it had before, then flashed green and opened to reveal the same meadow that King had been in. Chris and Joseph both turned to look at the stallion as Chris grinned at him and said, "Well, go on, you know more about elven mares than we do. Pick us a good one."

King snorted and tossed his head, then turned away to walk slowly through the portal before he trotted off across the field as Michael said, "It's unusual to find humans so trusting of anything elven, even one of our animals, but even more unusual to find ones who would give up the chance at riches to make a horse happy."

Chris and Joseph both watched as King stopped next to a nearly white mare, then turned back towards Michael and Chester as Joseph replied, "King has come back to us when he didn't have to over and over again, kept us safe from harm with his speed, and he just saved our lives again, so he earned it. It's not like it won't be helpful for us to have another horse, and he'll be happier with a mare to travel with."

"You're a rare sort of human," Chester said then, watching as King trotted back to the portal with the leggy silvery-grey mare following him.

Chris and Joseph grinned at each other, then watched King lead the mare through the portal before they looked back at Chester as Chris said, "We're gypsies."

Michael chuckled softly as Chester grinned at him and said, "And you said that, didn't you?"

"I did, and I was right," Michael replied, his eyes twinkling in the light from the blue globe still floating overhead.

"For once." Chester grinned at him and then walked over to the silver mare, smiling as he lifted one hand to stroke her shoulder and asked, "Would you travel with the humans, and care for the small one as King cares for the large one?"

The silver mare looked at Chester for almost a minute and then walked over to Chris, lowering her head to look into his eyes for a long moment before she suddenly turned her head, looking at King as she nickered softly. King nickered back, tossing his head, and Chester grinned and moved to stand next to Michael again as the mare turned back towards Chris and nuzzled his cheek.

Chris lifted his hand to stroke her face as he looked over at Joseph with a bright grin and said, "I think that means yes."

Joseph chuckled and nodded. "I think so, too. Looks like we've got a new friend."

Michael waved his hand and the portal winked out again, then he looked at Chester and asked, "Shall we let them go now?"

"Not quite," Chester replied, grinning, then he looked at the mare and snapped his fingers. Misty shadows appeared above her and to one side, solidifying almost instantly into glowing tack identical to what King wore.

The mare rolled her eyes and stepped away from Chris, then gave him a put-upon look and stood still as it drifted down and began to apply itself to her, and Chris couldn't resist saying, "It'll go on the right way next time, I promise."

The mare snorted softly as Joseph chuckled, and they all watched as the tack quickly buckled itself into place on the mare and then lost its glow before Joseph and Chris looked at the elves again. "Thank you," Joseph said, smiling. "I'm glad we met you, even if you did almost feed us to your cat."

Chris grinned and nodded as Chester laughed. "You're welcome. You two have been a rather pleasant diversion on this boring night, I must admit."

Michael nodded, then smiled slightly and added, "Off with you now though, before Chester wants to keep you as pets and see how well you shag."

"Michael!" Chester swatted at Michael's chest, laughing softly.

Michael grinned suddenly at Chester, then repeated, "Leave us humans, you may go in peace and safety. If you are bothered by anything in our forest you need only say _'càirdeas'_ and it will desist."

Chester nodded and smiled at them as he added, "And if you need shelter for the night just lay your hand on any rowan tree in the wood and say _'deis-dé'_ and a place will be provided to you. Go in peace."

"Thank you," Joseph said with a smile. "May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon to guide you on a dark night, and the road downhill all the way to your door. Peace be on you, friend."

Joseph moved to King's side to mount then and Chris moved to the silver mare and swung up into her saddle before he grinned down at Chester and Michael and added, _"Go n-éirí an bóthar leat!"_

Michael smiled and lifted a hand in a single wave of farewell as Chester grinned back at Chris and replied, _"An ádh na Gaeilge."_

Joseph and Chris returned the grin and waved, then turned their horses away and started down the path, both of them leaning low over their horses' shoulders to avoid low-hanging limbs. They had only moved a few feet along the path when Michael whispered a single word and the trees ahead of the two horses pulled back their branches as though a wind blew down the path, opening a clear moonlit path that seemed to widen as they walked. The humans looked back then, intending to give thanks, but the tiny clearing was empty and dark. 

The sliver mare that Chris rode was the only evidence the elves had existed at all.

 

~ Finis ~

 

Now, for those who have never heard the proverb that helped name the story...

"Gypsy gold does not chink and glitter,  
It gleams in the sun and neighs in the dark."

 


End file.
